Archives - Wil Aiken

To write movies off as inconsequential is to ignore the cultural impact that they have historically possessed. Movies can change history. Read More

Japanese Students’ Association held their annual Omatsuri event, reminiscent of a Japanese summer festival of the same name, in Hirst Lounge. Omatsuri, which translates in English to “festival,” is marked by stands in the streets with games and activities like Shateki, a rubber-band gun target game, and water yo-yo, where participants use string and a […]

SNL alum Nasim Pedrad performed an altogether unusual (and slightly lopsided) hour of comedy in Goergen Athletic Center on Saturday. Unlike many visiting comedians, Pedrad did not come with an opener. Instead, Pedrad was introduced by a video of the comedian impersonating Aziz Ansari, followed by a minute of, for some reason, the theme song […]

Pulitzer-winning biographer Ron Chernow imparted historical perspective and life advice this past Mel Weekend, painting an unconventional but compelling portrait of Ulysses S. Grant along the way. Chernow is known for works on George Washington and Alexander Hamilton — the latter inspiring Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash-hit musical, on which Chernow served as historical consultant. He visited […]

When sophomore Elissa Moy was planning UR Photography Club’s Rochester Photography Tour, she took inspiration from her weekly bus rides to Eastman for violin lessons. Moy, the secretary of UR Photography Club, noticed landmarks on the bus ride that she thought would be worth photographing — some wall art on University Avenue, for example. Using […]

Most people are familiar with that old cliché: “It’s not the joke, it’s the way (s)he tells it.” Like most clichés, there is truth to it, a truth  admirably embodied by the extraordinary Finnish stand-up comedian, Ismo. Despite his status as the first Finnish comedian to ever perform on American television in a memorable appearance […]

Mooncakes, calligraphy, and traditional games were among the offerings by stations at the Chinese Students’ Association’s (CSA) annual China Expo, which celebrates and educates about Chinese culture. The expo took place in Hirst Lounge in Wilson Commons on Friday, Sept. 28, from 2 to 5 p.m. The event came three days after Mid-Autumn Festival, a […]

Senior Siena Facciolo was 14 when she wrote her first song about a “little fling” she had at piano camp. That song, “Morning,” is featured on singer-songwriter Facciolo’s debut album, “Dear House,” out Sept. 29. Facciolo, now 22, has been actively putting the album — recorded in Rettner — together since January. She first arrived […]

Now though, Ponder said she does not rely on others’ approval of others to measure self-worth. At the end of the event, Ponder sang her song “Three Word Revolution.” The three-word revolution, Ponder said in introducing the song, is “I love myself.” Read More

Nobody’s quite sure what links terror and comedy, but most people know that the link exists. After all, what are the two things most people do on roller coasters? They scream and laugh. It is this relationship that Armando Iannucci, the brilliant British satirical writer and director, explores in three of his works of political […]